Controversy Erupts Over 'Written Recommendation' for Supreme Court Justices... "Judicial Coup" vs. "Agreement Not Mandatory"

[Anchor]

Following Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's written submission recommending two candidates for Supreme Court justices, the ruling bloc has gone so far as to demand his resignation. The controversy centers on the breach of the convention of reaching a prior agreement. Reports indicate that the agreement fell through due to a conflict between the presidential office and the Chief Justice during the selection process for the successor to former Supreme Court Justice Roh Tae-ak,

Reporting is by Im Chanjong, legal affairs specialist journalist.

[Reporter]

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae submitted a recommendation to President Lee Jae-myung the day before yesterday (the 18th) asking him to appoint two new Supreme Court justices.

The Chief Justice recommended Son Bong-ki, senior judge at the Daegu District Court, as the successor to former Supreme Court Justice Roh Tae-ak, who retired last March, and Kim Sung-soo, senior judge at the Seoul High Court, as the successor to Supreme Court Justice Lee Heung-goo, who is scheduled to retire next month.

However, departing from the convention of meeting the president in person to make the recommendation, Chief Justice Cho proceeded through a written submission.

[Cho Hee-dae / Chief Justice: (Is there a reason you notified the presidential office of the Supreme Court justice successors in writing?) Thank you for your hard work.]

The written recommendation occurred because President Lee and Chief Justice Cho failed to reach an agreement on the successor to former Justice Roh Tae-ak.

President Lee's side reportedly wanted the recommendation of Senior Judge Kim Min-ki, who is classified as a progressive female judge. However, Chief Justice Cho reportedly objected, citing the potential for a conflict of interest because Judge Kim's husband is Oh Young-joon, a Constitutional Court justice appointed by President Lee.

As differences of opinion narrowed, the vacancy on the Supreme Court extended for over five months.

Yet, with another Supreme Court justice scheduled to retire next month and even claims arising that failing to recommend a successor constitutes grounds for impeachment, Chief Justice Cho appears to have recommended the two candidates simultaneously without reaching an agreement with the presidential side.

While the presidential office has not issued an official stance, the ruling bloc reacted furiously, denouncing it as a judicial coup. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court explained that discussions were held until the final moment, while also stating that prior consultation or agreement is not mandatory.

[Noh Kyung-phil / Minister of Court Administration: If we must (necessarily) consult with the president to exercise the right of recommendation, we would further have to consult with the National Assembly so as not to infringe upon its consent right, and we consider that inappropriate.]

While the majority interpretation within the legal community is that the president can refuse to proceed with the appointment process for individuals recommended by the Chief Justice, the conflict between the ruling bloc and the Chief Justice is expected to reach its peak in the wake of this written recommendation controversy.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)
(Video by Bae Moon-san | Video editing by Park Ji-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.